Northern Illinois is a region of Illinois.

Regions

• Blackhawk Waterways - Lee, Ogle, Whiteside and portions of Carroll Counties.
• Illinois Driftless Area - Jo Daviess, Stephenson and portions of Carroll Counties.
• Kishwaukee Valley: Portions of McHenry County as well as Boone and DeKalb Counties.
• McHenry County
• Rock River Valley - Cities and Villages along the Rock River including Rockford, Dixon and Rock Falls-Sterling

Cities

• Rockford
• DeKalb
• Dixon - childhood home of US President Ronald Reagan
• Utica
• Galena - home of Ulysses S. Grant and many other historical facts
• Stockton - small town filled with history
• Sterling-Rock Falls
• Sycamore
• Harvard

Other destinations

• Starved Rock State Park

Understand

Northern Illinois is generally considered to be the area of Illinois north of I-80 and outside of Chicagoland. Definitions might slightly differ to include Kankakee and Grundy counties, which may also be considered part of Central Illinois. Culturally, the entire region is similar to many other rust belt rural areas. Residents tend to be politically conservative.